Church

[Darrell]

Quote:I don't know why it suxz so hard sometimes

but it does, sometime

Yes.

But I'm not yet willing to abandon the core concept of 'church' as a positive and beneficial thing just because the ones I've been to are all kinds of screwed up.

I am willing, however, to abandon most churches as I find them around me. They're just a complete waste of time.

[exOBCstudent]

(04-10-2012 11:52 AM)Darrell Wrote:  Yes.

But I'm not yet willing to abandon the core concept of 'church' as a positive and beneficial thing just because the ones I've been to are all kinds of screwed up.

I am willing, however, to abandon most churches as I find them around me. They're just a complete waste of time.

Sadly that's what most of the one's we've been to thus far have been. The largest one in the area is the best but we never get to know anyone there.

We come and go without anyone ever knowing we were there. I can't name you one person I know there. That sucks cause we (I) could really use some good friends to hang out with here since we're mostly all alone in this area but I guess that's just how it works out right now.

[Papa Bear]

The church that I'm in now doesn't suck. And it's full of sinners. I've been in plenty of churches that did suck because they thought they'd kept the sinners out.

[Bob M]

(04-10-2012 12:01 PM)exOBCstudent Wrote:  

(04-10-2012 11:52 AM)Darrell Wrote:  Yes.

But I'm not yet willing to abandon the core concept of 'church' as a positive and beneficial thing just because the ones I've been to are all kinds of screwed up.

I am willing, however, to abandon most churches as I find them around me. They're just a complete waste of time.

Sadly that's what most of the one's we've been to thus far have been. The largest one in the area is the best but we never get to know anyone there.

We come and go without anyone ever knowing we were there. I can't name you one person I know there. That sucks cause we (I) could really use some good friends to hang out with here since we're mostly all alone in this area but I guess that's just how it works out right now.

I visited quite a few churches before I landed in mine. I finally joined a small group and made the effort to get to know people. It paid off.

[exOBCstudent]

(04-10-2012 12:30 PM)Bob M Wrote:  I visited quite a few churches before I landed in mine. I finally joined a small group and made the effort to get to know people. It paid off.

That's what we're trying to do right now. The problem is their bi-monthly schedule hasn't quite worked out so well with ours.

[Bob M]

The other option is to visit a lot of small churches. IN smaller ones, you run the gamut of bad preaching to good preaching, but you will make friends, and probably life long ones.

[exOBCstudent]

(04-10-2012 12:38 PM)Bob M Wrote:  The other option is to visit a lot of small churches. IN smaller ones, you run the gamut of bad preaching to good preaching, but you will make friends, and probably life long ones.

That's what I would've thought while I was in the IFB ones but it turns out your only their "friends" if you attend their church.

All the "friends" I actually spent most of my life with no longer want to even be associated with me due to our leaving the cult. Some kind of friends I had. That's one thing that makes my wife and I nervous about making friends too quickly also. A church here was only "friends" with us while we were open prospects. When we decided that church wasn't for us we never heard from them ever again.

[notdrinkingthekoolaid]

(04-10-2012 07:30 AM)Darrell Wrote:  Why does it suck so much?

Discuss.

It sucks because the church universal and every church building I've been part of is full of broken, imperfect sinners who have mucked up or missed the point of what God intended His church to be.

That doesn't stop me from making a go of it and willingly becoming part of a local group of believers. I'm going in with eyes wide open, knowing that at some place and some time...these people will fail me. (All of is here ar SFL have experienced that, I'm nearly certain.) At the same time I believe that being part of a body of believers enables and encourages my worship of and relationship to God. And so...I go to a building labelled a church to worship God with other people who have a similar viewpoint and desire a similar environment.

[Elijah Craig]

(04-10-2012 05:12 PM)notdrinkingthekoolaid Wrote:  

(04-10-2012 07:30 AM)Darrell Wrote:  Why does it suck so much?

Discuss.

It sucks because the church universal and every church building I've been part of is full of broken, imperfect sinners who have mucked up or missed the point of what God intended His church to be.

Church folk would be easier to take if they acted like they actually believe this. I've only known a few churches that had this kind of humility-- and the vast majority are little hillbilly churches way out in the sticks.

[Darrell]

Quote:Church folk would be easier to take if they acted like they actually believe this.

I think that's one part of it. Most churches here in the US are full of people who are trying their very best to pretend they have it all together.